Crossroads
by carrion flowers
Summary: Three years have passed since the defeat of Pitch. But he did not die - he survived and now has a group of Dark Guardians to match the strength of Jack and his friends. However, an unknown dark force is starting to take out the lights and paths will cross.


Pitch's fingers drummed lightly on his staff as his glowing eyes stared into the open space before him. The room was dark, cold, perfect for creatures of malice and evil but his eyes did not look to the darkness. They did not focus on the evil that lurked within it. For once, Pitch looked to the light and his eyes stayed there whilst a killer's rage surged over his body. The massive globe in the centre of the room was ablaze with millions of lights. The light of believers, the light of the _good_ Guardians and Pitch's eyes narrowed and darkened.

 _"How very pitiful..."_ He seethed.

Stalking round the globe as silent as death itself, Pitch clenched his teeth together as the images of his defeat flashed across his mind. That single day had changed so much, had changed his position in the world...and now no one believed in him. No one would fear him or whisper his name and that, together with his now raging anger and darkness, made him far more dangerous and much more formidable. Pitch vowed, that he would make the tables turn. His power had almost fully returned to him and when the time came to fight again, he _would_ be victorious.

About to walk away from the room, the black cladded figure suddenly stopped in his tracks and his steps faded into silence. A flicker upon the globe had caught his attention and swiftly moving towards it - his breath hitched in his throat.

A thousand lights all in unison had flickered out.

"A thousand lights have gone out here too, master." A silky serpentine voice spoke out from the other side of the room and seeing that she had finally caught Pitch's attention, she raised an elegant eyebrow. The figure of Asian decent was wearing black, just like Pitch, but a choker of blood red wrapped around her neck; in the centre a deadly looking serpent with bared fangs shimmered menacingly, matching the dangerous glint currently shining in her yellow eyes. The woman's hair was as black as obsidian and fell freely down her back like a cascading waterfall. And on her head, she wore a black headdress that curled backwards to look like a scorpions tail. On which little red threads hung gems of a thousand colours - hinting at her dangerous past and her dangerous powers.

"I believe that our guardian of pain and suffering is finally getting down to business." A dark smile etched its way across her lips and sauntering her way over to Pitch, her eyes were alive with hunger. "When will you let me do the same? Those _petty G_ uardians of the Light have had too much time basking in glory". Lowering her voice, she smiled once again and her pointed canines came into full view as her red lips parted menacingly. "It is _our_ time to rise".

Pitch looked from his fellow guardian and back to the lights that had gone out so unexplainably and so suddenly. In any other situation this would have filled him with sadistic pleasure but something was _off_ and the guardian at his side now seemed to sense his unease. It emanated from him and something also emanated from the now black area on the globe. Whatever it was, it was immensely powerful... and immensely dark.

Letting his eyes hover over the globe a little longer, Pitch then turned back to the figure beside him but kept himself in line with the now diminished lights. If any more were to go out - he would want to be there to see it. "This is not the doing of Verin, Ravana." His voice was smooth and direct and Ravana furrowed her eyebrows, making the ruby jewel on her forehead sway slightly.

"But if it is not, Verin...then who? Xia? Naxos?" she pressed, trying to formulate some rational explanation.

"I do not know" Pitch said honestly but it was not said with any hint of kindness. It was said with a bubbling anger that he had not been the one responsible for this. But there was also a curiosity in his voice. This could be an opportunity for them - an opportunity that could turn the tide in their favour. "But what I do know is that I did not give the command to start a direct attack against the Light Guardians...not just yet. So either, we have someone that has disobeyed my orders and will dearly pay for it or... we have a new player in the game." Pitch returned his eyes to the globe. If it was the first option, oh, he would have fun.

As Pitch thought of all the horrendous things he could do, Ravana didn't want to but something in his words made her stiffen. As handy as a new player would be, and obviously this player was evil (the evidence of that was on the globe) what if this thing didn't want to take sides with them? What if it had an entirely different and more horrific plan of its own? Splaying her fingers, her irons claws shimmering in the golden light she swished her iridescent dress behind her as she took one step closer to her leader, endless thoughts rushing through her mind. It had been too long since she had been on the field, and she was itching for blood, for fear, for gore. Licking her lips at the thought, she casually asked "then what do we do? Do you think the Light Guardians already know of this?"

A smile twitched upon Pitch's lips then and a deep chuckled sounded from his throat. "Oh no, they won't hear of this for around another month." Sensing the questions on Ravana's tongue, he continued and the dark smirk remained on his face. "Two months ago, I implanted a bug - a nightmare into system that operates the globe. They have a weakness with their workers, it was easy to give them nightmares and let the bug spread to the system that way - just like a flea. Now, although it won't destroy the system completely, it will delay what it projects. Seems that the bug has become more useful than I first planned." Pitch looked to Ravana then and taking hold of her hand, he murmured with a growing smirk "the Light Guardians won't know a thing."

Ravana returned the look, retracting her claws so that she could gently trace his fingers. Moments like this were rare and looking into his eyes, the adrenaline pumped through her as she easily decoded his plan: "Which gives us time to track down this player before the Light Guardians can locate whatever is causing the lights to go out". The Guardian of Demonic creatures smiled darkly and in that moment appeared to become the personification of cruelty. "Oh, you are so very clever, master" she cooed.

Pitch's lips twitched at the compliment but a darkness suddenly began to shimmer in his eyes. "No, it gives _me_ time to track this thing down. You - for you I have another plan."

The distaste and disappointment was plainly written on her face at those words but she knew better than to defy her master and so taking her hand from his, she crossed her arms over her chest and inclined her head for him to continue. "And what exactly is that?"

"You remember the Light Guardian Headquaters in the Arctic?"


End file.
